Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis gave head coaching Josh McDaniels a vote of confidence following the team’s disappointing loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. It was another embarrassing loss for a Raiders’ team that has suffered numerous ones in the 2022 season, but since then, they have started to play some better football.
The Raiders are 2-0 since then, defeating the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. Both games came on the road and both were in overtime as Las Vegas looks to salvage what has been a lost season.
One of the big reasons that they have won the last two games, and one of their only bright spots throughout the year, has been the performance of running back Josh Jacobs. Jacobs had his fifth-year option declined before the season and he is doing everything he can to prove that he deserves a sizable contract as a free agent in 2023.
Establishing the run is paramount to finding success when playing on the road and that is exactly what the Raiders have done with Jacobs. Against the Seahawks, Jacobs carried the ball 33 times for 229 yards and two touchdowns, adding six receptions for 74 yards. He had the game-winning touchdown on an 86-yard run in overtime.
But, could that workload be catching up to Jacobs? According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Jacobs is dealing with a calf injury that is expected to keep him out of practice virtually all week. The plan is for him to get around-the-clock treatment in hopes that he can get on the field Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That is certainly not an encouraging development for the Raiders as Jacobs is an integral part of their offensive game plan. He is now leading the NFL with 1,159 rushing yards on the season and has turned into a true dual-threat out of the backfield as he is closing in on a career-high for receptions and receiving yards in addition to the damage he is doing on the ground.
Already admitting that he won’t practice much this week is a clear sign that Jacobs is ailing, which isn’t surprising after the workload that he handled last week. If he can get on the field against the Chargers, another monster performance could be on deck as Los Angeles has one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL with injuries decimating their defensive line.
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